Report: Bitcoin founder is 64-year-old So. Calif. man

Satoshi Nakamoto was long considered a mysterious pseudonym for the founder of Bitcoin, but Newsweek claims he is a Southern California man with the same name. (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg)

Satoshi Nakamoto, the elusive founder of Bitcoin, hasn’t been heard from in years, has stopped playing an active role in the cryptocurrency’s develoment and has always been a mystery.

But Newsweek’s story on Nakamoto Thursday claims that the founder is a 64-year-old Japanese-American man, born with the same name but who changed it to Dorian Prentice Satoshi Nakamoto after graduating from Cal State Polytechnic University decades ago.

This Nakamoto, a quiet libertarian and skilled mathematician and computer engineer who worked on various classified government projects and has a deep love of model trains, didn’t confirm for Newsweek that he founded Bitcoin. But most of the known details of the founder’s line up with his.

Even his family didn’t know for sure. His children, when approached by Newsweek, said it was shocking but possible, given that their dad is an extremely private man.

“My brother is an asshole,” one of Nakamoto’s brothers told the Newsweek reporter, Leah McGrath Goodman. “What you don’t know about him is that he’s worked on classified stuff. His life was a complete blank for a while. You’re not going to be able to get to him. He’ll deny everything. He’ll never admit to starting Bitcoin.”

Bitcoin enthusiasts have already begun to criticize Goodman and Newsweek for publishing details about Nakamoto, including his home address and the names of his family members, saying they wished his privacy had been respected. Others were still skeptical that the claim about his identity is true. Newsweek’s full story can be read here.